BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL; Anderson Still Finds Shooting Is Real Pain

By MIKE WISE,

Published: October 8, 1994

PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 7—
It is a tiny scar, maybe one-and-a-half inches long. It begins in a straight line on the inside portion of Kenny Anderson's left wrist and then veers abruptly to the left, toward his thumb.

Minuscule in appearance, the injury looms large for the Nets and their All-Star point guard as the club began practice today at Princeton University's Jadwin Gymnasium.

Anderson went through his first full workout since having a tiny screw inserted in his shooting wrist May 27. He said he felt pain when he shot the ball but added, "I'm getting used to it."

"It's a nagging after-effect because the screw is in there," he said. "I can feel it sometimes and it throws me off. Only when I'm shooting, though. Never when I dribble."

Much is at stake in the rehabilitation process, the most important of which is making sure the club's floor leader can play pain-free. Anderson also has two years left on his contract -- he will make $3.47 million this year and $3.89 million in 1995-96. He has yet to renegotiate with the Nets on a long-term extension.

General Manager Willis Reed said Anderson's wrist is not a factor. He is taking the same tack with Anderson he is with Chris Morris, the 6-foot-8-inch forward who is entering the last year of his contract. Morris missed 32 games because of injuries last season but wants a long-term financial commitment from the club. He wants it done by the season opener, Nov. 4.

Reed's reply: "Not until we finish a new collective bargaining agreement, so we know what the rules are."

Calling Morris's bluff is one thing. At 28, he runs the floor well. But his injury-plagued season has raised questions. But waiting to renegotiate with Anderson -- depending on how his wrist heals -- could prove costly for the Nets in the long run. Another All-Star season, and the club faces the possibility of losing him after 1996.

"They've hinted they were going to call but I haven't heard from them yet," said Richard Howell, Anderson's Atlanta-based agent.

Anderson is less likely to get into the details. "I don't know," he said. "I haven't even been thinking about that right now. Getting my wrist right is the main thing."

He originally suffered the fracture in February 1993, falling hard to the floor after a flagrant foul by Knicks guard John Starks. He played in pain for much of last season before consenting to surgery in the off season.

The operation was performed by Dr. Charles Malone, who performed a similar type of surgery on Don Mattingly. A week after the operation, he massaged the scar tissue on the wrist, causing Anderson the most pain he said he has ever felt. Twelve stitches held the skin together.

"It was horrible, so painful you wouldn't believe it," Anderson said, kneading his right thumb in the same area Malone operated on.

Malone, he said, was hesitant to let him compete in the Knicks charity game last month at Madison Square Garden. Anderson admitted he needs to heal properly, even if takes more time than he would like.

"My bullheadedness hurts me sometimes," he said. "Now, though, when I feel it's hurting, I'm going to stop. Until then, I want to have pride in myself and do what I have to do."

This morning, that meant running the floor with his fellow All-Star Derrick Coleman during the first practice run by Nets Coach Butch Beard.

"He doesn't have the real distance on his shot yet, but he made it through," Beard said. "I'm going to let him tell me how it is. The crucial thing is he's ready by Nov. 4. He doesn't have to be ready tomorrow."

REBOUNDS

The Nets have until the end of the month to submit a formal proposal for a name change to the National Basketball Association Board of Governors. The interest in Swamp Dragons, though, has cooled considerably. The club is now talking about simply Dragons or keeping the same name it has had since 1967. "We're not clear what we're going to do yet," said JAMES LAMPARIELLO, the club's executive vice president of operations. Lampariello, who submitted the request to the league for a name change, said the Nets are looking at several possibilities. "The Nets logo is fine with me," WILLIS REED said. Added DERRICK COLEMAN on Thursday, with a laugh, "If they change it to Swamp Dragons, I'm going to have to force a trade." . . . BUTCH BEARD was pleased with his first workout, adding he was surprised at what good shape some of the players were in.

Photo: Kenny Anderson, who says he is getting used to the pain in his shooting wrist, at practice yesterday. (Norman Y. Lono for The New York Times)